User talk:Cedges/Spellbender (3.5e Class)
Level 10 SGT The spellbender faces the SGT with a rogue balance point spellcasting partner, like a bard. Theoretically, all of these encounters are level 12 encounters for a full party of 4, and so should offer 9,800 gp in treasure, approximately 10% of which is spent on consumables. This gives us a budget of 980 gp/encounter. Additionally the two characters should each have about 49,000 in gear. The spellbender could already have spell resistance of 30 + her charisma mod by simply taking improved spell resistance for every bonus feat. This is probably a balance problem. The vrock and necromancers have caster level 10, the mind flayers 8, so those three encounters should be fairly easy. Basic cheese: The bard casts eagle's splendor on himself, which the spellbender modifies by persisting and extending it. This lasts for two days and only costs the spellbender 14 bending points, and the bard a level 2 spell slot. They do the same for the spellbender on alternate days, mostly to make things simple. They also do this to keep the spellbender invisible all the time, at an additional 14 points and another level 2 spell slot. They do the same for the bard, simply for the element of surprise. The spellbender has the following stats: 18 + 2 (levels 4, 8) + 2 (racial) + 4 (Eagle's splendor/enhancement), for a total of 26 and a +8 mod. She gets 208 bending points per day, plus bonus points of (2*1+2*2+3+4+5)*4 = 72 points/day, a total of 270. Her spell resistance is 18 before feats. She raises this to 32 with 7 of her 10 bonus feats. She takes Extend Spell, Persistent Spell and Heighten Spell, as well as Widen Spell and Maximize Spell. She needs 18 spellcraft to guarantee success identifying the bard's 4th level spells, so she also takes Skill Focus (Spellcraft), which brings her to 16 + her int mod. This needs to be 2, so she chooses starting stats of 18, 14, 9, 8, 8, 8. She maxes spellcraft, listen, spot, and move silently (cross class). Alternatively she could take an 8th Improved Spell Resistance and drop her charisma to 16, for a natural mod of only +5 and a significant improvement to her less important stats. The bard can have a charisma of 18 + 2 (levels 4, 8) + 2 (racial) + 4 (Eagle's splendor/enhancement), for a +8 mod. Combined with the spellbender's ability to heighten spells all the way to 9, the bard's save DCs can be raised to 10 + 8 + 9, or 27. With a chosen school, this could increase to 29 with spell focus and greater spell focus. This would negate saves up to +7 or +9. The bard does this for enchantment spells. Crushing despair or slow (both level 3 spells, will negates) could reduce enemies' saves by 2 or 1. The bard has 3/5/5/3/1 spell slots, 3/5/3/3/1 after the cheese. The spellbender can apply maximum bends to all of the bard's spells for (.5*9=5)*3+1*8*5+2*7*5+3*6*3+5*4*1 or 199 bending points every day, so for the most part we'll ignore her bending points. The general approach here is to confuse the monsters. The bard can cast confusion up to 3 times/day. The bard's heightened confusion has a DC of 29, his extended heightened confusion has a DC of 28 and lasts 20 rounds. His widened heightened confusion has a DC of 28, and has a 30 foot burst, and his extended widened confusion has a DC of 27. For damage, the heroes use extended, copied, or if applicable, maximized, summon monster spells. Spells used: * 0: None * 1: Summon Monster I* * 2: Eagle's Splendor, Invisibility, Summon Monster II* * 3: Confusion, Summon Monster III* * 4: Summon Monster IV* * Don't need all of these, but need at least one of summon monster III and IV to be able to do elemental damage to trolls. * 0-100% A hallway filled with magical runes. If the spellbender spots and recognizes the runes from more than 60 feet away, they pass, otherwise they fail. Much more likely fail. * 100% 2 Fire Giants. +9 will, become confused and maul each other while the bard destroys them with offensive spells. * 50-100% 2 Young Blue Dragons. Will +9. The bard is going to be cooked if the dragons win initiative. They don't because of the liberal use of invisibility. If they are close together, they both almost certainly get confused, otherwise the heroes focus on a single dragon and hope to survive the other's initial attack. If they don't get them both, the bard probably gets cooked. If he survives the breath weapon from the second it almost certainly gets confused, and the day goes to the heroes. * <25% 2 Bebiliths. Will +9. The bebilith's huge hides and scent and listen allow them to certainly ambush and grapple, and kill our two heroes. They bard might get some spells off, but it's unlikely he and the spellbender will both concentrate in the same round. * 50-100% 2 Vrocks. Will +10. One telekenisis can ruin the bard's day. The heroes wait until both vrocks are near each other, and confuse them. * <10% 4 Mind Flayers. Will +9, spell resistance 25. The bard runs away or else dies or worse, becomes the mind flayer's slave. Although the spellbender is practically immune to suggestion, telekenisis, and mind blast, and can try to reverse these onto the flayers, they are almost as immune as her. The mind flayers' superior numbers and melee combat abilities win the physical brawl. Brains are on the menu. * 0-100% 2 Evil Necromancers. This is impossible to judge off the top of the head. If they have an army of undead the heroes are pretty doomed. * 100% 12 Trolls. With only a +3 will save, the spellbender chooses copying spells over hightening them. * 24 Shadows. This is no longer a meaningful encounter by the DMG. The spellbender and bard win 37-80% of their encounters. Probably safe to say this is wizard level at level 10, however part of the adventuring party's advantage is that combined they are more than twice as powerful than independently. It's definitely wizard level or maybe higher with a wizard level spellcaster. The no-save cheese is going to stop working before level 20 due to enemies' saves rising faster than the spellbender's max bent spell level and the bard's charisma. This might need slower or no spell resistance progression or the removal of the improved spell resistance feat as a bonus feat, and possibly incorporating class features into the bonus feat list instead of giving them out at even levels. The bonus feats were really meant to give metamagic abilities, similar to spellcasting classes learning new spells. The even level abilities are to smooth the progression so that the player always gets either a new level they can affect things at or a new special ability. Cedges 21:10, May 26, 2010 (UTC) :"The bonus feats were really meant to give metamagic abilities, similar to spellcasting classes learning new spells" why don't change it to Metamagic feats only then?--Stryker-Fyre 13:24, May 29, 2010 (UTC)